Roses
by firerwolf
Summary: A series of short romance stories that center around Halo pairings and Roses. I don't own anything from Halo. Rated T for references to adult themes.
1. Rose for a Hare

Rose for a Hare

Kelly stared at the bit of crimson in her locker. She didn't know where it had come from, and she couldn't think of why it was there. She reached out carefully and picked up the flower, staring at the red petals. She'd seen them around, but she'd never seen one this close. They didn't grow naturally on Reach so there were few on the planet and they tended to be expensive. Kelly wondered who would have spent the money to get her one.

"Where'd you get the rose?" Kelly looked to Linda when the sniper spoke. "Who gave it to you?" She stared at the flower, seeming just as confused by it as Kelly.

The swift Spartan shrugged. "It was in my locker. I don't know who put it there." She really wished that she did. Kelly wanted to thank them, and ask them why they gave it to her. She moved the flower toward her face and sniffed it. It was a delicate smell, not like anything she was used to. In her training she'd grown accustom to gunpowder, dirt, sweat, smells like those. The smell of this flower was so different from any of those things.

"Do you think one of the boys gave it to you?" Kelly raised an eyebrow at Linda. "I mean, today is Valentine 's Day, isn't it. I've seen some of the soldiers on base giving paper flowers to girls today."

Kelly looked back to the flower and thought about it. It was a logical conclusion, but she didn't know who gave it to her. She knew who she hoped it was, but she wasn't sure. For all she knew it could be James or Anton, though she couldn't fathom why they would give her one.

"Well, whoever gave it to you, you're lucky." Linda closed her own locker, moving off toward the gym, towel in hand.

Kelly pondered the rose for a while longer before she finally left the locker room. She was still staring at the flower as she walked, nearly causing her to run into John. Luckily he was standing still and her reflexes made it easy to stop before they collided. Kelly looked up at him. She could swear that the fourteen-year-old squad leader was nervous, though that wasn't something she saw very often. Kelly broke the silence that hung between them. "Hey, John."

"Hey." The word was quieter then Kelly had expected. John usually had a confident, strong attitude and a voice that was just as strong. She frowned, worried that something was wrong. "Do you like it?"

Kelly didn't understand for a moment, and then she looked down at the rose in her hand. "You got it for me?" She stared at John, surprised.

John nodded. "Do you like it?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I love it." Kelly was more confused than before. John had broken things off with her a while ago. Why, then, was he giving her a rose on a day to celebrate love? Kelly was thinking about this when she felt his lips press against hers. It was soft and gentle, the way it always started out. She leaned toward him but he pulled away. She looked at him, completely lost. He'd stopped their relationship, but was he telling her that he still had feelings for her?

John took a step away from her and Kelly just watched him. "Well…I'm glad you liked it. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing." Before Kelly could stop him John had moved off, leaving Kelly alone, completely lost as to what had just happened.


	2. Rose for a lady in Gray

Rose for lady in gray

Adriana set the water to the side as she draped the towel over her shoulders. It was nice to be done with her workout for the day, but now she didn't know what to do in the extra time. She leaned back against the wall and looked up toward the sky, trying to decide what to do.

Someone came up beside her and she looked to him, not really surprised to see Jai standing there. The odd thing was that he was looking away from her. "What's your problem?" She raised an eyebrow and turned toward him so that her shoulder was resting against the wall. She looked to his hand as he held something out to her. She examined the red flower for a moment and then looked to Jai. "Is that a rose?" Jai nodded. "Where'd you get it?"

"I stole it from Fred. He had two." Jai still held out the flower. "Are you going to take it or not? I can give it to someone else if you want me to."

Adriana took the flower, looking down at it. "Why are you giving me a rose?" Jai moved to lean against the wall beside her. She turned so that she was facing away from the wall and moved so that her shoulder was touching Jai's. He didn't move away but he looked around nervously. "Mike is still in the gym. He was lifting weights the last I saw."

Jai seemed to relax and Adriana felt him lean a bit more toward her. It surprised her that he was so worried about Mike. Though the last time that Mike had caught them doing 'inappropriate' things with each other he had seemed a bit horrified.

"So are you going to answer my question?" Jai looked at her, confused by the question. "Why are you giving me this?" She held up the rose.

"Because I like you, why else?" Jai scratched at the back of his head. "Do I really need more of a reason than that?"

Adriana thought about the question for a moment. "I guess not. I mean, it just isn't you to do romantic gestures like this. If you really wanted to show me that you liked me you'd do something like let me drive the tank or something."

Jai shrugged. "Well I saw that Fred had them, and I decided that it doesn't hurt to do something like give you a flower. Though if you'd prefer being allowed to drive things with large guns on them then I can give the rose to Mike."

Adriana closed her eyes. "Jai, that was just stupid." He scowled at her but she ignored him. "The only thing that would freak out Mike more than catching us again would be you giving him a rose." Adriana paused. "Wait, where did Fred get them?"

Jai shrugged. "He just had them. I don't know where he got them from. Do you really have to question when I try to do something nice for you?" He was obviously annoyed.

Adriana sighed and leaned over, placing a light kiss on his cheek. "Of course I do, Jai." With that she moved off, knowing that Jai would follow her. He grumbled, but followed her as she moved across the base. At least now she had something to do with her free time.


	3. Rose for a Trooper

Rose for a Trooper

Kathleen frowned at the flower. She was sitting on her cot where she'd found it. After coming back from her shower she'd found the single red rose sitting on her pillow. She wasn't even sure what to think of it, not to mention who had left it there. She turned as the door to the barracks opened. She was going to hide away the rose but stopped when she spotted Will. She thought for a moment, he was a likely candidate.

Will moved over to Kathleen and opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He looked down at the rose. "Nice flower. Did Fred give it to you?"

Kathleen frowned. It was odd that he would jump to Fred as who gave it to her. Or was it? Then again maybe Will had given it to her and was doing that thing where he tried to help give Fred credit for things. She decided to get answers. "Did you give this to me?" Will looked surprised as he sat down beside her. "Is this another one of those things where you do something sweet and give Fred credit?"

Will put his hand on his heart. "I swear that I didn't give it to you. Though I wish that I had. That would have been the perfect thing to do. Would have gotten Fred quite a few brownie points."

Kathleen shook her head. "You know he doesn't need your help. He's doing just fine on his own. You should be more worried about your chances."

Will didn't look all that worried. "I did come to visit you on your birthday. He take you out for a night of fun and fornication?"

Kathleen smirked at Will. "So you were watching? Didn't know you were into that kind of thing." A look of surprise crossed Will's face. "Like I told you, he doesn't need your help. He's doing just fine on his own."

Will seemed rather upset. "You do realize that you're only fourteen. Aren't you a bit young?"

"Fourteen and soon to become a soldier in the front lines. We both know that they aren't going to wait until we're eighteen to start us in action." Kathleen looked down toward the rose. "I feel like these will be our only chance. Like we'll never be this peaceful again."

Will opened his mouth to speak but the door to the room opened and Fred walked in. The two trainees stared at their team leader who was walking toward them. Will leaned a bit toward Fred. "So where did you get it?" Fred raised an eyebrow, not understanding. "The rose." He motioned to the flower in Kathleen's hand.

"Oh, me and John stole a few from Tango company. Took some convincing but I wanted a look out while I stole them." He moved to stand before them. "Thought that them being stolen would also make them a bit more special."

"So John gave one to a girl?" Fred simply shrugged, not really having a definite answer to Will's question. Will glanced toward Kathleen and she was glaring at him. He got the idea. "Well, I'm going to go…do something." He stood from the cot and quickly made his way out of the barracks.

Fred took his spot and leaned a bit toward Kathleen. "So, do you like it?" He didn't get a verbal response. Instead Kathleen pulled him to her, kissing him as she pulled him further forward so she was lying on the cot and he was on top of her. The two of them opened their mouths, engaging in the familiar fight for dominance.

"You know you two should do that somewhere less public." Fred pulled away from Kathleen and they both looked toward the voice. Neither of them had heard Kelly enter the barracks. She raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get your rose?" She held up her own crimson flower.

Kathleen reached up, placing a kiss on Fred's cheek to indicate it was him. She smirked as red spread over Fred's cheek. "I'm guessing John gave you yours."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I think." She moved through the room to her own cot. "Though really, you should save that for a place where people can't walk in."

Kathleen suddenly sat up, forcing Fred to move out of the way. "Thanks for the advice." She stood up, grabbing Fred's collar and pulling him up before dragging him out of the barracks.


	4. Rose for a Rabbit

Rose for a rabbit

John looked down at the woman lying on the bed. He didn't want to be away from her, putting on his pants. He wanted to be under the blanket, curled up with her, intertwined, with her warmth against him. He knew, though, that the tech would already be wondering why he hadn't come back for his armor. They'd taken it to repair a number of systems that had been damaged by a series of wraith shots. They'd said it would only take an hour. A check of the time told him it had been about three hours since he'd left his armor. He couldn't waste any more time.

John grabbed his shirt and slipped it over his head. He looked back to her once again and felt the call of her. John moved over to the side of the bed looking over the parts of her that weren't covered by the blankets. His hand reached for her but he stopped himself. He withdrew his hand, knowing that if he touched her now he'd get right back into that bed just to touch her, to feel her without their armor in the way.

John moved across the room, bending down and picking up the flower on the ground. It had been what had started all of this, or at least why things had gone the way they had. Usually they were fine with simply lying in bed, holding each other, but this time that hadn't been enough. John looked down at his shirt, frowning as he realized it was slightly torn at the collar. He really wished that Kelly had been more careful. He was sure that no one would ask, or at least he'd be able to come up with a good lie.

John placed the flower carefully on the pillow beside her, knowing that she would probably stay away from that side. He couldn't be there when she woke up, so it was his own way of explaining that he wasn't just leaving because he didn't want to be there.

John took a deep breath, collecting himself before he leaned down, kissing her lightly on the cheek. He hung close as he fought not to touch her. "You mean the world to me," he whispered. He stood and then moved out of the room before he couldn't help but stay.

Kelly didn't wake until fifteen minutes later. She frowned as she realized that John wasn't there, though at least now she realized why she felt cold. Kelly noticed the flower and reached up slowly, her hands running over the soft petals. She smiled, picking up the flower as she moved to lie on her back. She held the flower up, sniffing it as a smile spread over her face.

She figured that John must have gone to get his armor. She had a bit more time before she had to go and retrieve her own armor. She frowned, wishing that she'd been able to at least get one last touch before they'd both have to go back into the metal skin of their armor. She sighed and put the flower back down on the pillow beside her before she sat up. Maybe she'd go find John, taunt him with the fact that he was now in armor. Kelly smirked to herself. Yeah, that sounded fun.


	5. Rose for a Bunny

Rose for a Bunny

Kelly stared at the vase full of crimson red roses that sat on her desk. She was rather embarrassed as she'd already been asked five times that day what sort of special day it was. The truth was she had no idea why they'd been sent to her.

The card that had been delivered with it didn't really give her any clue as to why they were sent. They only thing that it said was that he loved her and informed her that it was from John. She sat, staring at the card, looking for any hint in the card as to why he had sent it. She let it drop to the desk, frustrated.

The door to her office opened and she frowned as the technician walked in. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Those are some lovely flowers. Are they from your husband?" Kelly nodded. "Well, I have those forms for the equipment that you tested this morning. The Captain would like them by the end of tomorrow." The tech looked to the flowers again. "So what are they for?"

"I have no idea." Kelly took the papers from him. "There are no anniversaries or events that they could be to celebrate." Kelly frowned as she looked at the flowers. Now that she thought of it he could be just messing with her head.

"Maybe he just wanted to do something nice." The tech shrugged. "Not like I understand the mind of a Spartan." The man smiled and then left the room, leaving Kelly to her work.

Kelly sat at her desk, staring down at the papers as she filled them out. The door opened but Kelly didn't bother to look up. She didn't want to answer more questions about the flowers. She was surprised to see hand settle on the desk to each side of her papers. She looked up to find loving brown eyes staring at her. "John?"

John leaned down, placing a light kiss on her cheek. "Hello there, Bunny." John glanced toward the flowers. "Do you like them?"

Kelly looked toward the bunch of roses. "I love them, I just can't figure out why you gave them to me." She reached over, running a finger over one of the petals. "So what's the occasion?"

John put on a look of mock surprise. "You really forgot such an important anniversary?" Kelly looked at him shocked. She was sure it wasn't their wedding anniversary, any birthday. It wasn't the anniversary of when they first started dating or anything. John grinned, knowingly. "Well, seems I know something that you don't."

Kelly leaned back in her chair. "Gabriel." The avatar of the AI appeared. "Lock the door." John turned to look behind him as the locks slid into place. He then looked back to Kelly, seeming to be a bit worried. Kelly stood from her seat and moved around her desk, letting her hand trail over the metal as she moved around it. John moved as she did so that he was always facing her. He tried to back up, almost through the desk as she moved to stand before him. "I'm sure that there are ways that I can get the information out of you."

John swallowed as she moved to be pressed against him. He was nearly sitting on the desk. "What are you going to do?" He kept his eyes on hers as she leaned toward him, only centimeters away from kissing him. John leaned forward to close the gap but Kelly moved away. John frowned. "Is that all you've got?"

Kelly smirked at him and he suddenly regretted his words. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Her body pressed against him as her breath spread over his neck. John turned toward her but she once more denied his attempt to kiss her. He tired a couple more times before he let out a growl of frustration. Kelly only smirked at his frustration. "Going to tell me?"

John hesitated, trying to decide. "If I tell you can we have some fun here in your office?" His hands moved from the desk to her side. Kelly smiled and nodded. "I sent them to you for the very first anniversary that we have together." Kelly shot him a confused look. "I gave them to you to celebrate the anniversary of the day that you and I met."

Kelly tilted her head to the side. "You mean you gave them to me for that first day of training when I met you and Sam?" John nodded. "That is so…" Kelly stopped, pulling him toward her, kissing him deeply. She broke the kiss. "Come on; let's make a mess of my office." She pulled him back to her and they clung to each other as they kissed.


	6. Rose for a Mother

Rose for a mother

Lucy's eyes opened slowly but her vision and thoughts were foggy. She looked around and spotted the monitors near her and realized that there was an I.V. drip. She followed the tubing down to where it connected to her arm. So she was in a hospital or the infirmary. That might explain why her head was so fuzzy. She'd likely been under anesthesia.

Lucy's hands moved to her stomach, instinctively checking on the mound that should have been her daughter in her womb. Instead of her skin her hands felt hair. Lucy looked down to find Tom's head resting on her stomach, arms draped around her waist. His eyes were closed and from his breathing she guessed he was asleep. Though that brought up a big question: where was her child?

Lucy shook Tom and he buried his head into her stomach and she shook him harder. Her mouth opened to try to tell him to wake up but no words came out, as always. Luckily, Tom's eyes opened and he looked up at her. She looked down at him worried, wondering how she could ask him what had happened.

Tom sat up a bit, the fog of sleep slowly disappearing. He looked at her and it seemed like all at once he was struck by the situation. "Lucy?" His hand moved up to touch her cheek. Now she was really worried. A smile spread over Tom's face and he leaned toward her, kissing her in what she could only guess was joy, though she had no idea why. When he broke the kiss Tom rested his forehead against hers. "You had me scared to death, I thought I was going to lose you."

Lucy frowned and tried to get his attention. He finally realized she was trying to sign something. The only things she could think to do was put her hands over her stomach and look at him, hoping that he would get the idea of what she was asking. Though, it was Tom, he always got the idea.

Tom looked toward her stomach and then back up at her. He moved on the bed to be lying beside her, though being sure not to disturb any of the equipment she was hooked up to. "Lucy…" Tom took a deep breath before he spoke. "You went into labor earlier then you were expected." Lucy turned to face him, setting her forehead against his shoulder, just listening. She feared the worst. "You fainted on the way to the hospital, but we got you here. They had to do an emergency cesarean." Lucy pulled her head back to look up at him. "They said there had been complications. Lucy…I almost lost you." Tom's arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him, holding her tight as though if he didn't she'd just vanish.

Lucy pushed him away a bit, trying to think of any way that she could ask about their child. She opened her mouth but still couldn't manage any words to ask. She stopped when a hand rested on her cheek. Tom turned her head so that she was looking at a table to the side of the bed. On it sat a pink teddy bear that was tied to a series of balloons that said things like 'congratulations' and 'it's a girl'. Lucy looked to Tom, wanting an explanation.

Tom frowned a bit and pulled Lucy back to him. "She's in a special unit. They're taking very good care of her but she was born before she was supposed to. She was so small and frail when she was born." Tom ran a hand over Lucy's hair. "But you should see her now. She's gotten so much stronger and she looks healthy. They say she's going to be fine in about a week or so." Tom was grinning now. "I hope you don't mind that we named her and everything. I would have waited for you to wake up, but you've been out for several days."

Lucy put her hand on her nose and waved her other hand as though wafting away a smell. "Yeah, I know. I haven't showered in a while, but I couldn't bring myself to leave either of you." Tom turned away from her and then turned back. He handed her the stuffed animal and she looked down at it. It was a simple bear that had the words 'Momma bear' stitched onto its back. The stuffed bear held a smaller stuffed bear in its arms in a tight hug. Between the arm of the mother bear and the baby bear Tom had slipped a single rose. Tom pulled it out and used a hair pin to secure it to her head.

Lucy hugged the bear to her as she settled on the bed. "I can see if they're willing to bring her here to see you, or if they'll let you go see her." Lucy nodded and Tom placed a kiss on her forehead before he moved out of the room. Lucy sat in silence, just waiting for him to return. He came back a few minutes later and after a bit of work, and Tom putting her in a wheelchair, they were off.

It was on the other side of the medical bay and Lucy was glad for the chair. She never would have made it under her own energy. He moved her to a window and for the first time she caught sight of the sleeping form of their daughter. She was in an enclosed crib and there were monitors keeping a tab on her statistics. In the air above the crib there were holographic stars and planets.

"That's her." Tom leaned down beside Lucy. "That's our little girl. Holly Ambrose." His arm moved to her shoulders and he kissed the side of her head. Lucy's hand moved up to cover one of Tom's but she still continued to stare at her daughter. A soft smile spread over her lips. That was their daughter, the combination of the two of them, alive and, although the child was smaller than she should have been, healthy. Lucy looked up to Tom and he grinned down at her. She smiled, wishing that at that moment she could speak, tell him that she loved him, how happy she was, but she couldn't, and she knew he accepted that.

Whether he was a mind reader or just knew her that well he moved behind the chair, wrapping his arms loosely around her neck as he changed positions so that he could look at his daughter. His chin moved to rest on his own arm. "I know. I love you too." Lucy tilted her head to the side, resting it against Tom's. She was happy and content with her husband as they just watched their daughter sleep.


	7. Rose for an Assassin

Rose for an assassin

Edward was watching the street below from his perch on the rooftop. The roads below were all clear and he hadn't seen a single sign of a Covenant since his watch shift had started. He was statue still as his eyes searched the area, the VISR outlines making things much easier to distinguish. He didn't even look at the other solder as she moved to stand beside him. "Your shift isn't for another ten minutes."

"I know, but I couldn't miss a chance to see you batmanning up here." Edward looked to her and Emily explained. "Silently watching the city streets for any sign of danger or trouble. Dressed in all black and being serious. You know, like batman does."

Edward shook his head. "I never read that one. I was more a fan of Iron Man." He turned his gaze back to the roads. "Kind of funny as the Sergeant is a lot like Iron man."

"Except her suit doesn't allow her to fly, she doesn't actually need all the power that the suit can give her, and she can't shoot beams out of her hands. Oh, and she's not secretly a billionaire who just wants to right the wrongs in the world that she thinks she's created." Emily sat down on the rim of the roof, relaxing a bit. "She's more like Deadpool, I think. I mean, I can't think of a more violent superhero."

"Didn't know you crossed universes." Emily just shrugged at his comment. "Why are you up here anyway? You should still be sleeping."

Emily reached up, removing her helmet and setting it to the side. "I wanted to give you something." She reached to one of the pouches on her belt and pulled out a small object. Edward turned to her, trying to get a better look. Emily held it out to him and he took it.

Edward looked it over, a bit confused. "Is this a rose?" He spun it a bit in his fingers, looking at it from all sides. The odd thing was that it wasn't the red that most people associated with roses.

"Yep, a black rose, for you." Emily smirked at him. "I thought it might be a nice romantic gesture to give you one. You know, since giving roses is how most normal people show love and affection."

Edward didn't say anything about how they weren't normal. They all knew that the ODSS weren't really normal. They weren't looking forward to the end of the war, they weren't thinking of the people they had back home, they were just surviving. Then again, a black rose wasn't really normal.

"You know if you really wanted to show me that you loved me you'd let me have that energy sword that you picked up from that elite." Edward's eyes traveled down to her thigh where the weapon was attached to her armor.

"What, your combat knife not enough?" There was a smirk on Emily's face as she spoke. The smirk that she only wore when she was teasing him. "Can't get the job done with what you've got."

Edward was careful with his reply. He played along with the teasing but he really did want the sword. If he played her games maybe she'd let him have it. "I can get the job done with anything."

"I'm sure that you can." Emily reached out and took the rose from his hand. She slipped it into the part of his armor that attached his knife to his chest plate. "You know if you wanted to show me that you loved me you could tell me a bit about yourself before you became a soldier."

Edward's mood instantly soured. "No." Emily frowned and slid down so that her back was leaning against the lining around the roof. Edward watched her for a moment before his gaze turned back to the street below. "Why do you care about that time of my life anyway?"

"Because no one knows anything about it. I mean, isn't it natural to want to know about the history of the guy you're banging?" Emily scowled, a bit annoyed that she had to explain it. "I mean, I've told you about my family."

Edward shrugged. "There's nothing to tell, nothing that matters. Nothing of what I am today was created due to anything from the past. You've known me from the start of this program. Is that not enough?"

Emily didn't look at him, just stared across the roof. "I guess so." She looked down at the ground and then let out a breath. "Your shift is over." Emily moved to be sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out at the city.

"It's been pretty quiet. I don't think there are many Covies on this side of the city." Edward removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. "I'm going to go get some sleep."

Emily stopped him and pulled the man toward her. Her lips touched his gently. He lingered for a few seconds as he returned the kiss and then broke away. Edward looked down to his thigh where Emily had attached the energy sword.

Emily turned to the street below, shifting her helmet to put it on. Edward stopped her and leaned down, his lips grazing her ear. He whispered to her, something that he'd never told her, never told anyone. He placed a light kiss on her cheek before he pulled away. Emily smiled and slipped her helmet on. Emily moved to the doorway and walked down the stairs to the room that the ODSS were using that night.

He moved inside and sat down in a corner a bit away from some of the other soldiers. He knew that when Emily's shift was over she'd come down and join him. He made sure there would be room for her. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Rose for a Sniper

Rose for a Sniper

Linda had seen the roses that Kelly had gotten from John. She admitted that sometimes she wished she could have that. John never would have done such an emotional romantic thing before he'd married Kelly, before they'd had kids. She sometimes wished she could have that. She sometimes wished that someone had changed just because they'd been with her. She still didn't know how John had gotten roses that were blue.

Linda lounged on the couch, flipping to the next page of her book. She paused as she realized that she hadn't actually read the last page. Linda flipped the page back just stared at the first line of the page, not really reading. She slipped her bookmark in and shut the novel before setting it on the table. She didn't like that it was bugging her. She'd been happy for so long with just living with Mark, not needing such romantic gestures. Maybe age was getting to her. After all, back when she was a teen she wouldn't have wanted to stay with Mark for too long. It was particularly different since she wasn't getting anything physical out of it but that had been the only reason she'd spent any time with a man in the past.

The door to the house opened and Linda looked over as Mark walked in. "Hello." He moved over to the couch and sat down on one end of it. "How was your day?" Linda didn't reply. She just sulked a bit on the couch. She didn't need to do anything more to tell him that she'd had a bad day. "What happened?"

Linda thought about what to say. She decided that, because honesty had always been her policy with Mark, she didn't want to change that now. "John got Kelly a dozen blue roses for their anniversary."

Mark stared at her for a few moments then turned his attention to his boots as he removed them. "I thought you didn't like such gestures. I can't imagine that the Master Chief would have given them while someone was around." Linda ignored the fact that Mark used John's rank. He usually did with most of the Spartan IIs. He just wasn't that close to them.

"He didn't. They were on her desk this morning." Linda moved so that she was sitting up a bit more, the position was more comfortable. "I saw them when she was carrying them home."

Mark looked at her for a few seconds. "I don't understand then why it upset you." He set his boots to the side and leaned back in his seat, shifting so that he was facing Linda.

Linda shrugged. "I'm just jealous." The words felt odd in her mouth. She didn't like admitting that she was jealous, but she was. "I've just never gotten anything like that."

Mark studied her. Usually she wouldn't care but the way that he was looking at her made her nervous. "I'm sorry." Linda didn't understand the apology so she remained quiet. "If I'd known you were all right with receiving such gifts I would have been giving you them for holidays and anniversaries."

Linda stood and moved a bit toward Mark. She leaned down, placing a light kiss on his forehead. "You're very sweet." She grabbed her novel and moved toward the kitchen to make something to eat.

~*~*~'

Linda stared at the single red rose sitting in the vase on the table. Her finger trailed over one soft petal. Her other hand still held the card that Mark had left with the rose. It had made her smile, something that she did more often since the end of the war, but which was still rather rare. She turned her attention back to the card to read it again.

_Dear Linda,_

_I was going to get you a dozen roses, but my training told me that it would make you more visible to enemies, so I decided on a single rose. It fits more with a sniper. _

_Love,_

_Mark_

Linda smiled and turned her gaze back to the single bright red rose. It wasn't a dozen roses, but to her it was just as special.


	9. Rose for a fallen

Rose for a Fallen

Kathleen sat before the stone, just staring at it. Odd how this still never felt normal to her, even after all these years. She didn't know if this trip had really been a good idea, and she didn't like the idea that it wasn't just him that she would be talking to.

Kathleen spun the rose in her hand, staring down at it. Doing so made her feel a bit less silly. At least it gave her something to focus on. Her gaze looked back up and she read over the words. Holly, Dante, Kurt. She only knew Kurt, but she wasn't interested in him. She only cared about the last name on the list.

Kathleen looked around to be sure that no one was around before she spoke. If she was going to do something so stupid she at least didn't want to be seen. "I'm so pissed at you. I hope you know that. You were supposed to reach the end of the war." She turned her gaze back to the stone. "It's a bit less fun without you around to keep Fed on his toes."

A smile spread over her face. "You know Fred told me what you did, how you died. I wish I could have been there. Sounds like you went out with a style, a style I could be proud of." She suddenly frowned and sat up a bit taller. "Though you did it all wrong. If you're going to take on a hunter in hand to hand you have to get behind it. It may try to spin around on you, but it is much weaker in the back. You can climb up it. The armor up by the head has that opening and you can just tare the little buggers out of there. If you are going to do it from the front you really should just stick a grenade in them." She relaxed a bit. "Though we're all guilty of, at some point, of forgetting that there are two of them."

Kathleen closed her eyes and focused on more happy memories. "You know you once asked me if I loved you. I didn't answer you back then. I didn't answer Fred back then either. You both always took it as me saying no, like just because I wasn't ready to say it, I didn't feel it." Her eyes opened and she reached out to touch the stone, fingers moving over the carved name. "The thing is, I did. I loved you both, and I knew that I couldn't decide. Guess you really made the choice for me." She looked down to the ground. "No, I'm just trying to put it all on you. I made my choice. I loved you, but I loved Fred more. I feel terrible about it, really. I always told myself that I was clear with you, told you that I loved Fred instead, but really I wasn't. I lead you on, and I'm sorry. I did love you, and I loved the way you made me feel, that sort of special way that even Fred can't match."

Kathleen placed the rose at the base of the tombstone. "I'm sorry, Will, for all time we didn't have, for all the things I did, and for…well for a lot of things. You wouldn't like life after the war anyway. It's so boring. Guess it's why I can't give up combat. Fred can. You should see it. He's got this little house, pictures on the wall, a little kitchen table that we eat at, and even has a fluffy set of sheets on our bed." The smile stayed on her face but her eyes turned sad as she realized that he'd never know any of that, never get the chance to see if he liked peace or if he'd beg her to join her team to keep fighting.

"You would have made a great ODSS, Will." A smirk crossed her face. "I wouldn't have been as shamed to bring you to see my soldiers. You would have fit in just perfect, been a man I could be proud of." She frowned, realizing that she was proud of Fred. She'd just been worried of what her soldiers would think with her being with a man that was gentle. "I love you, Will, and I miss you. I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye." She pulled the chain with the dog tags from her shirt, letting them hand openly against her chest. Her fingers moved to the partially melted tags. "I'll always have you with me. It's the best I can do to let you be with me, to know peace, to see that we're happy here."

Kathleen stood and looked down at the stone. It didn't seem proper, like it wasn't enough for what the soldiers had given. Kathleen stood tall and saluted the grave. She waited a few seconds before her hand dropped. She hesitated for a moment before she turned and walked away. Off to find Fred.

She knew he'd be waiting for her


	10. Rose for a Kitten

Rose for a kitten

Kat reached into her locker, carefully pulling out the scarlet flower. She stared at it, not believing that it was what she thought it was. She was examining the petals and didn't even hear the person come up behind her. "What's wrong? You look confused." Kat looked back at Carter. His gaze turned to the flower. "Where did the rose come from?" A frown crossed his face.

Kat turned to face him. She shut the locker and leaned back against it. "I don't know. It was in my locker." She thought about it for a moment and then finally spoke. "Maybe Richard gave it to me." She saw the frown on Carter's face become a scowl. "Maybe it was Emily, or perhaps Thom."

"I don't like that list of options." Carter was obviously displeased, and Kat was sort of enjoying the reaction. "What exactly is your relationship with them if you think they'd be giving you a rose?" Kat could hear the edge of annoyance in his voice.

Kat decided that, while it wasn't always smart to push her luck, she couldn't resist. "Well, I think you're already aware of Richard's attraction to me. Thom has shown quite a bit of interest in me. I mean, I've seen him looking at me in the locker room. Emile flirts a lot. Even felt me up a couple of times." Kat could tell that she was just about to push it too far, but she decided to pull it back a bit. "Though I know that I don't want it to be any of them."

Carter didn't ease up. "Then who do you hope it's from? Jorge?" He was tense and was breathing deeply. Kat didn't even bother to look up from his chest, which she was staring at without attempting to hide it.

Kat tore her gaze from his body and looked to his face. "I want it to be from you." Carter seemed to relax a bit. Kat smirked, glad to see that his anger was fading. "In fact, I don't care who gave it to me. I'm just going to pretend that it was you." Kat reached out, setting a hand on his chest. "Oh Commander, you shouldn't have." She smiled as she moved the rose to her face, sniffing at it.

Carter looked down at her hand and Kat could see the argument behind his eyes. He liked the contact, she knew he did, but he also knew that it was inappropriate. His gaze looked back to her and he didn't speak for a few moments. She felt his hand move to her side for just a second before it was pulled back. "I didn't give it to you, Kat."

Kat rolled her eyes. "I know that. I said I'm going to pretend you did. Can't you just play along?" She leaned a bit toward him, putting more pressure on her hand. She could feel his heart through the thing shirt that separated them.

Carter shook his head. His own hand moved up, settling on her wrist and forcing her hand off of him. "No, Kat, and you know it." Kat frowned and Carter took a step away from her. "If you find out who gave that to you, do tell me. He and I will have to have a talk." Kat nodded and Carter took the rose from her hand. He looked it over, examining the stem. He broke it off part of the way down and then slipped it behind Kat's ear. She smiled at the gesture and Carter turned, moving to his own locker.

Kat decided not to push her luck and moved out of the locker room, smiling happily. Carter may not have given her the rose, but she had no interest in who had actually given it to her. In her mind, there was no question that Carter had been the one that gave it to her.


	11. Rose for a Monster

Rose for a Monster

Emile stared down at the flower, having never seen anything like it. "What in the name of all automated firearms is this thing?" He held up the flower so that his friend could see it.

"Are you telling me you have no idea what a rose is?" Richard raised an eyebrow at the armored Spartan. "It's a flower, man. People give it to show that they like a person. Usually symbolizes love or something like that. It was probably meant for me. I'm sure Kat just had the wrong locker."

"Yeah, because she didn't kick you the last time you tried calling her by a nickname." Emile turned his gaze to the flower just staring at it. "It's for me. I know who gave it to me too."

Richard leaned toward his friend, curious. "Do tell. I would like to know what member of Noble has the hots for a killing machine like you."

Emile sat down on the bench and it protested the weight of his armor. He tried to decide if he should tell Richard. The other man might make fun of him, but then again, admitting it didn't mean that he was admitting he liked the person. "Jorge."

Richard just stared at Emile for a few seconds. "You mean the gentle giant Spartan II that's on the team?" He seemed very surprised by the news. "You mean that tall glass of nice likes you, the short guy at the party that kicks people in the balls for calling him short."

"Hey, I'm not that much shorter than you. Only like half an inch." Emile frowned behind his visor. "But, yeah, it's him. He…I don't know. He likes me for some reason."

Richard grinned. "Well, I'm happy for you man. He could be good for you." Richard grabbed his boots from his locker and slipped them on. "I mean, I've been around you long enough to know that a nice guy like him might be just perfect for you."

"How could a guy like him be good for me? He's much to gentle, he's so much more emotional than I am, and he and I don't agree on anything." Emile felt like crushing the rose in his hand, destroying it to make his point, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to destroy the flower for some reason.

"But that's just the thing. He's not a killing machine like you that only has war on his mind. If you were with a person like that then you'd never come out of combat mode. I mean, people say that a soul mate is when we meet someone that's just like us. I don't think that's true at all. Look at me and Kat. Sure, we both don't always follow authority, but I respect the chain of command. Kat couldn't give a damn about rank. I'll admit I'm not the brightest tool in the shed, but Kat would be that tool that you keep in the house, the one with its own case that you use all the time for any job." Richard scratched at the back of his neck. "Honestly I think that a soul mate is nothing like us. I mean, who wants to be with an exact copy of themselves?"

"You do realize that you're as much Kat's soul mate as I am, right?" Emile glared at his friend. They both knew that neither of them had much of a chance with the Lieutenant Commander.

Richard shook his head. "She's my soul mate. It's a completely different matter as to who her soul mate is." Richard finished lacing his boots and tying them, scowling unhappily. "Carter keeps Kat out of trouble when she doesn't respect rank. Kat makes sure that Carter sees us as people, not just soldiers. Kat sees the little things, Carter sees the whole picture. That good enough for you?" Richard let out a long breath. "I'm just saying, don't rule him out because he's nothing like you. Sometimes we need that opposite person to keep us in line." With that Richard walked out of the locker room, leaving Emile to think.

Emile watched his friend go and then looked back to the rose, considering Richard's words.

Jorge looked over the group of dead grunts. They looked to have been cut open and he could guess who did it. "Do you really have to desecrate the bodies?" He looked around and realized that the Spartan III was nowhere to be seen. "Emile?" He called for the other Spartan, searching for his tag in one on the buildings.

"Calm down, big man. I'm fine." Emile moved to the doorway of one of the houses. "If we go through here we can cut through the back yard and straight to the road that will take us down town." Emile vanished back into the house.

Jorge didn't know why he wanted to take that way, but as he was usually the slower of the two he let Emile take the lead. Jorge moved into the house behind him, frowning as he realized that Emile was already on the other side, waiting in the back yard.

Jorge looked through the house, being sure that there was nothing that could sneak up on him. He stopped in the living room, staring at the wall. All the pictures had been knocked down and the furniture was all piled to one side of the room leaving the space vacant. Jorge studied the pattern on the wall, trying to tell if it was what he thought it was. He looked a bit close and could see what looked like streak marks, meaning that the blood had been put on the wall, and from the looks of it, purposefully put in this pattern.

Jorge took a few steps back and took in the whole picture. It looked like a poorly drawn rose. At least that was what he thought it looked like. He couldn't be sure as the lines were wavy. He looked toward the back yard where Emile was still waiting. It was odd that he hadn't told Jorge to hurry up yet. He didn't like being kept waiting. Jorge turned back to the picture and smiled. He captured an image of it and stored it away in a personal file.

He moved through the house, into the back yard. Emile was watching him, probably trying to gauge his reaction. Jorge decided not to keep him guessing. "That was lovely. You know I had no idea a little monster like you could be so adorable."

Emile turned and started to walk off. "Don't push it."

"You do know that roses are supposed to be red, right?" Jorge grinned as he moved after Emile moving over the rubble of a destroyed wall to the road ahead.

"Well alien blood only comes in blue and purple, so deal with it." Emile easily moved his way onto the street and started to head along the road. "Now shut up and move your big butt. We're late enough as it is." They both fell silent as they moved down the street to meet up with the rest of Noble.


	12. Rose for a Lone Wolf

Rose for a Lone Wolf

Shar watched as the soldiers moved around the base, just staring down at them from the rooftop. She was up here, trying to keep away from it all. The people who were walking in couples, the exchanging of candies, the flowers that men were giving women. It was all just so…depressing. She stared down at the ODST helmet in her hands. The blue was calming and she relaxed a bit.

Shar's gaze turned out to the open area where she watched a man hand a small red rose to a female soldier. She made some sort of comment. Her stance was aggressive but it was obvious from the look on her face that she wasn't actually angry. The man took a step closer and said something back. There was too much noise around her for her to know what either of them had said. The woman relaxed and pulled the man toward her. Shar looked away as they kissed.

She hated this day so much. All the people of the base seemed to be happy, but it just reminded her that she didn't have anyone here. She had herself, that was it. She had her armor, but her armor couldn't tell her if it cared about her. For all she knew it hated her for all the damage it received protecting her. She preferred to think it was willing to take the damage to protect her, but deep down she didn't believe that. The helmet that was staring up at her seemed accusing, as though she'd abused it by being reckless.

Shar set the helmet to the side, not able to look at it any more. This was why she hated this day. On this day even friends could tell each other that they loved each other, even a group of guys would joke around and spend the day together, spend time together as a sign of their bond. Shar didn't even know any of the ODST on the base. She didn't even know if anyone she'd ever met was still alive.

Shar lay down on the roof and stared up at the sky above. She watched the clouds pass, trying to clear her mind. She wondered if any of the Spartan IIIs from her class were even alive. She pushed that thought aside. She'd seen the reports, she knew about Pegasus Delta, knew that they were all dead. Her mind thought of Jorge, John, Kelly, the Spartan IIs she knew. Jorge would have spent the day with her, just because he was friendly toward everyone, though she didn't believe that she'd want to spend the day with him. There was something about how nice he was that she didn't like. Like it was just a front and something was wrong with the man.

She thought of John, then of Kelly. She remembered her letters to Kelly, how the Petty Officer had laid claim on the Master Chief. She remembered that Kelly had stopped writing her. Neither of them would have wanted to spend the day with her. John would have been spending the day with Kelly, and the female Spartan II had made it clear when she'd stopped writing that she didn't want to talk to Shar anymore.

Shar sat back up and grabbed the helmet, looking down at it. "You don't actually hate me, do you?" The helmet didn't answer back and she hadn't really expected it to. Shar took a deep breath, cursing this day again. She slipped the helmet back on and it oddly felt more confining now that she wasn't sure if her armor actually liked her. She pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. Armor didn't have thoughts or opinions; it was just a ton of metal, circuits, and pain.

Shar climbed down from roof and moved to her private room. She moved to the unit on the side of the wall. It was a series of robotic arms that, when controlled by the bases AI, could remove her armor for her. She stood still as the arms did their work and removed her armor piece by piece. When it was finished she stepped off of the platform and got dressed. She took a step toward her cot and then turned around. She retrieved her helmet from where it was stored when she wasn't wearing it. She then moved over to the bed and lay down, clutching the helmet to her chest as she drifted off.

Kelly stood before the monument, staring up at the five stone figures. She frowned, annoyed that they'd left out the last member of the team. Kelly looked down to the small bunch of roses that she'd brought with her to leave there. It was really just random that she'd only bought half a dozen. She took a deep breath, deciding where to start. She couldn't think of anywhere to start.

"Why are we here?" Kelly recognized the sound of her son's voice. She looked back at Sam who was tugging on John's arm, trying to get his father's attention.

"We're here to pay respects to an old friend." John looked to Kelly and they just looked at each other for a while.

Kelly turned back to the monument and she knelt down, placing the roses. "I don't know why you stopped writing me. It was too long before the battle of Reach for that to be the reason. It doesn't really matter anyway. You were my friend. We got the full report of what happened on Reach, of you and Noble." Kelly smiled a bit. "You know, they said that Cortana wouldn't have been able to understand the Halo systems as well without the information from the copy of her you brought to Captain Keys. I don't think she would have been able to figure out Halo, or stop it from firing without that data."

Kelly stood and looked up at the statues. "You should be up there. Standing with them." Kelly shook her head. "No, actually you should probably have your own statue about five miles away where no one else is. Maybe put it at the shipyard, or where the old castle base was, or maybe where we trained as kids. They would all be suitable places to put it."

Kelly looked down to the roses and then closed her eyes. "Thank you. I fully believe that the only reason that John made it off of the Halos, that he made it through, was with an AI that could help him as he needed it. So, I guess I owe him being alive to you. Thank you, Shar."

Kelly looked to her side as Jacob moved to her side. He reached out and took her hand. "Mom, did you know this person very well?"

Kelly thought about that for a second. "Well, I knew her probably as well as anyone did. She was my friend, and a great soldier." Kelly wasn't sure if anyone really knew the woman at all. When she'd met her she'd told Kelly that she didn't have friends. Though, from the reports she'd died with a team. No, that wasn't true. Noble team was dead by the time that Shar had died. Kelly frowned at that realization. She didn't like the idea of Shar having died alone.

Kelly reached down and picked up her five year old son. He clung to her and Kelly turned, walking back toward John. When she got close enough John put an arm around her shoulder and they both moved away from the monument.


	13. Rose for a Spartan

Rose for a Spartan

Tom stepped into the section of the _Infinity_ that the crew had already named "Spartan Town". Since the first five Spartan-IVs had come onto _Infinity_ a year ago, there were now several classes of Spartans and the once empty deck finally seemed like it was really being used. Still, the five original Class-IVs seemed to be treated as though they were higher rank. It was these five Spartans that Tom was currently looking for. Since they were seen as leaders Tom had formed a good relationship with them, but he was always looking to try to keep in touch so their working relationship would remain good. He couldn't get to know every Spartan-IV, but he could still have the original five be his branch out to all the others.

After a bit of searching, Tom found all five of the Spartans gathered in the gym. There was an odd split, the four male Spartans sitting over by the sparring mats and the single female Spartan over by the free weights. Tom decided to go with the larger group and made his way to the sparing mats. "Good afternoon, Spartans."

The Spartans all stood and saluted. "Officer on deck," Scruggs announced, much to Tom's unease. He was used to that anywhere else, but something felt odd to him about it when he was on their deck; like he was walking into their home, and yet they were still saluting him.

"As you were, soldiers." The Spartans all sat down and Tom felt more at ease. "How are you all doing today?" He looked down and noticed the rose in Spartan Davis' hand. "You going to give that to someone?" he asked, motioning to the flower.

"He already tried," Spartan Thomas spoke up. "He asked Palmer to the Valentine's Day dance tonight, and she just glared at him. Guy had to walk away with his tail between his legs." Thomas chuckled at the embarrassment of his comrade.

"I did not," Spartan Davis snapped. He grumbled and slouched a bit. "She did turn me down when I asked though. But she's turned down every guy that's asked her, and in comparison at least she didn't insult me."

"Have a lot of people been asking her?" Tom frowned, a bit surprised that anyone other than a fellow Spartan-IV would have the courage to ask a Spartan to the dance. A part of him didn't like it, aware that some people would be asking just because she was beautiful, and others just because of her status as a leader among the Spartans.

"Like, twenty or so over the last couple days, at least that I know of. Guys from all the departments, and a few stupid new Spartans. Both Scruggs and Davis tried, but she turned them both down," Thomas answered. "I don't think she's going to go with anyone."

"I don't think even a sweet talker like you could get her to go," Scruggs spoke up. Scruggs had caught Tom flirting with Sarah a couple times and hadn't left them alone about it since. "But I'd love to see you try."

"There's a fun idea," Thomas spoke up. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

"I'd pay to see that," Davis said, grinning. "I'd love to see a Commander get shot down like the rest of us." The Spartan chuckled to himself.

"It's not exactly a level playing field," Holst complained. "I mean, he can just order her to go with him - which isn't really fair." The male Spartan glanced toward Palmer, checking to be sure she couldn't hear them.

"That would be an inappropriate use of my rank," Tom pointed out. "Not to mention I don't need to pull rank to get a date. I can rely on knowing how to talk to a woman."

"Then have at it, Commander. Though I don't think even pulling rank would help you. Seems like Palmer isn't the kind of woman to let herself be persuaded like that." Scruggs chuckled and smirked. "But she might be persuaded if you grab her ass again."

Tom wasn't about to rise to the bait, as he was sure he hadn't groped Palmer at all; as well as the fact that that would have been inappropriate, and he'd never found it an acceptable form of flirting - unless he was already in a relationship with the woman. Tom considered his plan of attack, knowing his task was not an easy one. "Mind if I take that?" he asked, pointing to the rose. Davis held it out and Tom took it, turning to face his challenge. As he made his way across the gym he grabbed a towel before approaching Palmer. "Spartan Palmer," Tom greeted, sitting on the bench beside her.

"Commander Sexy-I mean, Lasky" Palmer greeted, continuing her arm curls. Unlike the other Spartans she didn't salute, didn't make any other special recognition of his presence.

Tom sort of liked that she hadn't saluted him, it made him feel less official, which would make his task easier. Her greeting also hinted that she might be open to his question, maybe she had even been waiting for it. He held out the towel to her and Sarah took it, drying off her forehead. "How are you today?" Tom looked to the weight in her hand. "You usually use more than that."

"I'm going for lower weight and more reps. I don't want to bulk up." Sarah let the weight hang loosely in her hand. Tom was sure that to her it was nothing, but he would have had to set it to the side as it would be too heavy for him, and even more so in the increased-gravity of the Spartans' gym. Tom smiled and Palmer returned it when she knew he'd gotten the joke. Spartans didn't bulk up, their muscles were just denser. "So what do you want?"

"I can't just come over and talk to my friend?" Tom gave her a hurt look, but knew she'd be able to tell he wasn't really offended. "You know I love your company." Palmer rolled her eyes and Tom chuckled. "All right, I didn't come over here to just talk. I came to get some proper instruction on arm curls. I've been trying them, but I'm just not getting the definition that I want." Tom curled his left arm so she could see.

"It looks defined to me." Sarah swapped the weight she was holding to her other hand, and her right hand gripped his upper arm, squeezing lightly. "Any more and you'll have too much bulk, and no woman will want you. Or at least I wouldn't."

"So you don't like bulky men," Tom observed. She was responding well so far to his flirting, so maybe he stood a chance. He flexed his arm a bit under her hand and Sarah smirked suggestively. "What kind of guys do you like?"

"I like the kind of guys that don't ask me to stupid dances when I don't even know them, and when I don't even want to go to it," Palmer grumbled, letting her hand drop. "If you're at all smart you won't give me that rose." Tom glanced down to the flower and then back to the woman. "I'm not going with you."

"At least give me a chance to seduce you with promises of wild sexual favors before laughing in my face and shooting me down." Tom was a bit annoyed that she hadn't even let him ask. "I deserve just as much of a shot at failure as everyone else, Sarah."

"Tom, I'm saving you time, and annoyance for myself. You're going to flirt, I'm going to consider actually going with you, but in the end we can't." Sarah stood up and grabbed two weights, one smaller and one larger. She placed the smaller one in Tom's left hand and adjusted his arm to a better curling position.

"If you know you'll want to say yes, why not just say it?" Tom looked down to what she was doing as she moved his arm. Her touch was gentle and she was really only guiding his movements.

"Because it would look bad, Tom," Sarah explained. "You'd look like you used your rank to get me to go with you, and I'd look like I was just sucking up to get ahead. You and I don't want to be seen that way." He could tell from Sarah's tone that she really did regret that there wasn't another option.

Tom sighed, knowing that she was right, but that didn't stop it from hurting. Although a part of him was thrilled by the idea of getting to take her to the dance, spending the night having fun, and maybe taking a walk through the garden, he didn't want to hurt Sarah's reputation. He looked down to the rose and then set the weight to the side. "I have to admit, I was hoping to get you closer and once your senses were filled with my masculine sent, deep manly voice, and you were touching my peak physical form that you wouldn't be able to help but say yes."

Sarah burst out laughing and leaned a bit toward Tom. "That probably would have worked," she admitted. She smiled slightly and Tom returned it with his own soft smile. "How could any woman resist such a perfect body, perfectly timbered voice, and such an enticing scent?" Sarah's smiled fell just a little bit. "Why did you have to be an officer?"

Tom shrugged and leaned to the side enough for his shoulder to touch hers. "Someone has to make sure the grunts like you are getting good orders." Tom held the rose out to Sarah, hoping that she would take it. "Are Spartans officers or not? They don't seem like NCOs but your uniform is different."

"We're just 'Spartans', not sure where that falls in terms of being officers. Not many officers are as stupid as you though, and take part in ground engagements." Sarah took the rose and sighed. "Really, a hand-me-down rose from Davis? I'm actually really disappointed."

Tom smirked slightly before he chuckled. "I didn't come in here expecting to be asking anyone to a dance. If I was going to ask a woman to a dance I'd get her a lot more than one rose, and I certainly wouldn't have gotten her one that is as wilted as this one. I'd get her nice fresh flowers with a personalized card. Maybe even some candy to make my request just a bit more appealing."

"Sometimes I'm surprised by how romantic you are, Tom." Sarah looked down at the flower in her hand. "The woman you marry will be the luckiest woman alive. I envy her."

"I think I'm going to be the luckier one if anyone agrees to marry me. I'm an XO on a ship that will probably be away all the time." Tom looked down to the flower and then back up to Sarah's eyes. "Maybe it would be better for me to find someone on the _Infinity_ to marry."

Sarah stood, surprising Tom with her sudden movement. "Well there's plenty of people on board, you have a wide selection. Maybe you could find another officer that would understand your worries, or maybe a maintenance worker who wouldn't have problems that would bog you down."

Tom stayed seated, ignoring the pain in his neck from having to crane his head up to look at her. "Well I have very particular tastes. I like strong women, who aren't afraid to challenge me and call me crazy, and I like them on the tall side."

"Not many women are like that. Best of luck finding one that's all those things and willing to marry you, with a career like yours." Sarah smiled as she put her weights away. "See you later, Commander."

Tom watched as she walked out of the gym and toward the showers. "So did she turn you down?" Scruggs asked as he and the other Spartans approached. "Or you are you going to be the man with the prize tonight."

"She's a woman, not a prize," Tom corrected. "She didn't let me ask her," he answered honestly. "She was right not to let me; it would have looked bad if I had asked her to come with me. We're both just too high-profile and I wouldn't want her to look like she was trying to appease me for some unprofessional reason."

"Sure thing, Commander," Holts said, but Tom knew he didn't believe him. "I guess Palmer won't be coming to the party. A shame, I was hoping to get a dance with her."

"Like she'd ever dance with you," Davis remarked. "I'm sure she'd rather dance with Scruggs, and he's uncoordinated enough that he'd probably only walk on his partner's feet."

Scruggs was about to retort, but Tom stood up, not wanting to be around if the Spartans started fighting. "I'll see you gentlemen tonight. For now I need to get ready for the dance." Tom excused himself and left Scruggs to his insult match with Davis.

Tom went back to his room and changed into his uniform, having no other dress clothing on board. He was sure everyone else would be in uniform too though, so he wouldn't look out of place at least. He waited for a while after the actual event had started before he made his way to the atrium. The party was in full swing and he was impressed with how much they'd done. There were red hearts in the trees, and strings of lights hung between them so it was a bit dark, setting a more intimate mood. There was a long table of food and drink, and smaller tables set up with pink and white tablecloths. And a band was playing beside the open area where people were dancing.

Tom soon found the male Spartans, all in their uniforms, gathered near the food and snacking on various appetizers. "None of you could get a date?" he asked as he approached the men.

"Didn't really have the time," Davis explained. "I was hoping Palmer would go with me, but she was sort of a last resort because there was no one else."

"Great to know I'm a last resort," Sarah commented, causing Davis to turn around. "I'm damn glad I turned you down. I deserve a date that actually wants me with him, not one that just doesn't want to go alone." Sarah moved over to join them and Tom couldn't help but let his eyes roam her over. Unlike all the men, Sarah was wearing a skirt with her uniform - one that seemed quite a bit shorter than was regulation. She also seemed to have skipped over putting her campaign ribbons on her jacket, so she seemed more casual without them. Her gaze turned to Tom and she smiled. "You wear that uniform well," she commented.

"Why thank you, Sarah," Tom said with a friendly smile. "I have to say your comrades could learn a thing or two about how to properly wear that uniform." Sarah smiled and Tom grinned in triumph to her reaction. "I didn't think you were going to be coming tonight, you seemed so against it."

"Well I wasn't going to come, but a secret admirer sent me a dozen roses with a personal card promising some of the most exciting sexual favors if I'd be at the dance. So I figured I'd come to the party and see if he'd pay up." Sarah smirked and looked around the crowd. "I'm going to get a drink and see if I can find my man."

Sarah moved away and Tom watched her go. "Didn't know that dirty favors was all it took to get Sarah to come to the party. Next time I'll keep that in mind when asking her out." Holts chuckled and the others joined in.

Tom smiled, but he wasn't really amused by the man's comment so he didn't laugh. Although it was just a joke, he respected Sarah too much to talk about her like that. "I'm going to walk around, do some socializing, maybe help Palmer find her mystery date." Tom left the male Spartans and grabbed a drink before setting out to find Sarah.

She was stading a bit away from the party, leaning against a tree and watching the people. She spotted Tom long before he reached her and smiled. "You know I expect you to pay up on all of your offered favors," she said as he got into ear-shot.

"I assure you I intend to pay up on every single one," Tom assured her. "I'm glad you came, Sarah, I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Well we didn't come together, so it's fine," Sarah reasoned, sipping at the drink in her hand. "I don't like that they took our spot," she muttered, annoyed.

"We can't call the atrium, Sarah, it's a public space. Not to mention it's just one night, we have all the rest of the year to have it ourselves." Tom leaned his shoulder against the tree next to Sarah, as close as he could get. "I know you don't like dances like this, but we're both here, so..." He stood away from the tree and held out his free hand to her. "How about a dance?" He smiled and bowed a bit, the way a Prince Charming would for his Princess. Sarah looked at his hand for a moment, smiling slightly at his posture and action. She took his hand and he led her to the dance floor.


End file.
